On Tuesday, students at Northlake Hills Elementary School in Castaic began their annual Student Valet training with the California Highway Patrol.

Castaic Union School District returned from summer break last week, and district administrators and teachers are working to further develop a culture of wellness and kindness on their campuses.

Bringing popsicles and happy attitudes to the various neighborhoods of their community, Castaic Union School District staff spent two days this week traveling around their district on the “Castaic Welcome Wagon.”

Next week the Castaic Union School District Welcome Wagon will be touring the Castaic community to visit with students and their families.

Castaic principals, administrators and school board members will be in attendance at the various special events in order to get out in the neighborhoods and surprise kids with popsicles as the district prepares for the first day of school on Aug. 13.

If you ask them if they went to Castaic Union School District schools, they unanimously nod their heads. If you ask them if their parents still live in Castaic, they all nod their heads. If you ask them if their favorite teachers are still at the school they now teach at, some say, “Yes, and now they’re my workplace mentor.”

Castaic Middle School is the only school in the Santa Clarita Valley that continues this long-standing community tradition as our students transition to high school. Of the 240 students who promoted, 71 students were members of the National Junior Honor Society, which requires a minimum 3.5 grade point average (GPA) and 8 hours of community service.

This year’s event, at The Canyon at the Westfield Valencia Town Center, honored 53 teachers representing the 53 schools across five local school districts – who have shown “outstanding service and contribution in the classroom.”

In May, Castaic Union School District is celebrating its teachers and staff with events coinciding with California Day of the Teacher on Tuesday, May 7, and Classified School Employee Week, which will be held from May 19 – May 25.

As part of the Castaic Union School District’s month-long sing of appreciation, the faculty and classified staff members of Northlake Hills Elementary received a special visit from La Momia Tacos on Tuesday.

The eighth-graders of Castaic MIddle School are preparing for their annual Portfolio Day presentations — an event, held once a year for the past two decades, that involves the students presenting their work and participating in mock interviews with professionals in the workforce.